promises
by worldoffire
Summary: Kisame has made himself many promises over the years.


Hm. I suppose this could be considered a spin-off of sorts from a previous story of mine, 'descent into darkness'. I mentioned I wanted to expand on the bit I made up about Kisame's life before joining the Akatsuki, and so here it is. A bit different, but it was still inspired by what I said in that piece. Any canon events they've shown that depict him before joining Akatsuki didn't happen here, by the way, except for him joining the Swordsmen. A warning: this is darker than what I intended it to be, with several mentions of deaths, blood, etc.; I think it's the first thing I've written that really needs to be rated T. Honestly, I slightly wonder if it needs to be rated higher. Enjoy. c:

Disclaimer: No, still don't own it.

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Hoshigake Kisame grew up under the reign of the Fourth Mizukage, in the time when Kirigakure was known as the Bloody Mist. It was a time when graduating classes had to slaughter each other; the last man standing won, and was promoted. This made Kirigakure very different; much more violent, both in its missions and on the streets, and Kisame loved it, truly.

It was not always that way, though.

He became as he is today after watching his older sister, his elder by three years, be slaughtered in an alleyway for not fighting as she should have. If she had simply fought those boys instead of meekly handing over what they wanted, she would be alive, and Kisame would likely have turned out much different.

Of course, fate is bloody, and at the age of eight he watched two boys slaughter her; he stood, watching, unable to move or cry for help. Then, they turned to him, presumably to kill him as well; he ran, fast as he could, and managed to escape them as they chased him throughout the streets.

From that day on, though, Kisame swore he would not let himself be taken down; he would be the best, the strongest, of all of them.

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At ten, he graduated after killing the rest of his class; though nobody realized it, that was what affected him the most throughout his childhood, even more so than witnessing his older sister's death. For, you see, Kisame had another sister, one in the same Academy class as him.

To graduate, he killed her.

He was in a red haze, oblivious to all things—screaming, kicking, anything. That was why he didn't realize it was his sister, his flesh and blood who had been his closest friend, beneath his kunai before it was too late.

From that day on, he swore he would be heartless; after all, once you've slaughtered your own family, haven't you lost any heart you had?

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At twenty, he is a jonin, highly skilled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and kenjutsu. He's a contender for the Seven Swordsmen, once a spot opens up; he hopes it will be soon. He's wanted to be a member of the Swordsmen from fifteen, when he first picked up a sword and found he loved the feel of swinging it; from there he's grown more and more addicted to using it.

It is sick, and he knows it, and while he wishes it could be helped, he knows it can't.

A spot opens up, soon; the last Swordsman who had used Samehada died mysteriously on a mission. While rumors had swirled about that Kisame had orchestrated it, he hadn't; it was just an ill-timed coincidence. He is welcomed into the Swordsmen with open arms, despite his obvious mental illness. Then again, they share it, in ways.

Kisame does swear something that day, just as he has after the other important moments that have made him who he is. He will get help for this addiction of his, before it is too late.

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He doesn't. It gets to the point where he kills and flays everyone in a ten foot radius on a mission, whether ally or enemy. That is when he decides to leave Kirigakure, taking only his memories and Samehada. It will be a new start for him; not a clean slate, no, because his record will never be cleansed.

But it's something.

He leaves a note for his mother; she is his only surviving family, and the only living person he will truly miss. Then he slaps Samehada on his back, carves a scratch through his forehead protector, and leaves.

Akatsuki finds him just weeks later with an offer, and after sliding on the red and black cloak, he never looks back.


End file.
